Latest Articles
Ebola crisis orphaning children amid fears of disease spread
c. 2014 USA Today
MONROVIA, Liberia (RNS) Ever since Frank Mulbah’s mother died of Ebola in August, no one will go near him....
Pope Francis lends friendly support to Anglican Church in North America
c. 2014 Religion News Service...
As Ebola relief ramps up, other aid efforts stumble in West Africa
(The Christian Science Monitor) Back in May, when the Ebola virus first crossed over from Guinea into Sierra Leone, among the first to k...
General Seminary board keeps dean, offers to reinstate faculty
The embattled General Theological Seminary will keep its controversial dean and is prepared to reinstate the majority of its faculty....
Pakistan court upholds death penalty for Christian woman convicted of blasphemy
(The Christian Science Monitor) A Pakistani high court has upheld the death sentence given to Asia Bibi, a jailed Christian woman convicted o...
Greek Orthodox break ground on rebuilding church destroyed on 9/11
Leaders of a church that was destroyed during the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City broke ground on a new St....
What is marriage now? A Pauline case for same-sex marriage
"It is better to marry than to burn," says Paul. This strange, embarrassing passage may offer some ground for fresh discernment.
Hatred in my heart
Have you ever been inordinately annoyed by someone else's clothing? I have, and in my experience this is a classic indicator of what this week's Leviticus reading calls “hating someone in my heart.” When I'm repressing anger or frustration, I suddenly notice the hideously out-of-date belt my relative is wearing, or the way-too-short-in-every-inseam pantsuit my co-worker has on. The clothes are never the true offense, of course, but they send off alarms: time to speak up.
Awake to life
The narrator of one of Alice Munro’s short stories described a middle aged woman this way: “Here she sat and saw her day as hurdles got through. Not much to her credit to go through her life thinking, Well, good, now that’s over, that’s over. What was she looking forward to, what bonus was she hoping to get, when this, and this, and this was over?” (Selected Stories, 1997).
Sometimes it’s that way for us, I think.
Sense of agency
The last time my family visited New York City, we stopped by a board game coffeehouse....
“If you don’t go to church you can’t complain.”
As I drove home from breakfast with a church member recently, I caught the last 15 minutes of The Diane Rehm show on NPR. She and her panel were discussing the upcoming midterm elections. One of them shared a recent poll, in which only 15 percent of respondents said they were “closely following” the midterm elections. Among voters ages 18-29, that number is 5 percent.
The topic turned to voter turnout, especially among young people. How can we get young people to register and vote?
Christians' long support for vaccines
This past summer, a judge in New York City ruled against three families who filed suit against the public school system, claiming their right to free exercise of religion was violated when their unvaccinated children were barred from school. In another case last year, a measles outbreak sickened unvaccinated members of a large church in Texas, drawing claims the church had discouraged vaccinations. The church later hosted vaccination clinics, and a spokesman denied the church had ever advised against vaccines.
These public episodes seemingly pit immunization against faith. Yet Christians have a long history of promoting vaccines.
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Sex and the Spirit, by Verlee A. Copeland and Dale B. Rosenberger
The mainline has struggled to express an ethics or spirituality of sexuality. Verlee Copeland and Dale Rosenberger seek to fill that gap.
German Catholics petition Schleswig-Holstein state to reinstate God in constitution
c. 2014 Religion News Service...
Seventh-day Adventists to decide in 2015 on women’s ordination
c. 2014 Religion News Service...
Pope Paul VI is almost a saint: Here are 4 of his biggest legacies
c. 2014 Religion News Service...
Why the City of Houston wanted the sermons of five Christian pastors
(The Christian Science Monitor) The City of Houston ignited a First Amendment free-speech debate by issuing subpoenas to evangelical Chr...
A challenge for Mexican president as parents wait for news of missing students
(The Christian Science Monitor) As tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Mexico to call for the return of 43 students who we...
Crimes on the home front
Christopher Foyle has a deep sense of right and wrong. Foyle's War offers both moral clarity and moral complexity.